Tuesday, August 3, 2010

my brief thoughts on.... 'Delicatessen'

for those of you who've never seen a Jean Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro film.... you're missing out on near pitch perfect filmaking.... sadly, they don't work together anymore.... but they're still putting out amazing work on their own.... now, i've seen 'Delicatessen' many times before.... but i just re-watched it this week.... and it's still as strong as it ever was.... i highly recommend you watch it as soon as possible.... the story, the cinematography, the acting, the script, the characters, the music.... everything is amazing.... however, that can be said of anything with their name on it....

this movie tells the, what seems to be, post-apocalyptic tale of an apartment where the butcher runs the place and continually hires new handymen to fatten them up to serve to the tennants as meat.... food is in short supply and all has gone to hell in this world.... the tennants know the deal and are in on it.... it's no secret.... however, when the new handyman moves in, the butcher's daughter takes a shine to him and doesn't want him killed.... he's a former circus star and a very likable guy.... the rest of the story just has to be seen to be believed.... it's bizarre and wonderful....i put this in my top 50 films of all time.... as with their other film, 'City of Lost Children'.... if you can stand French subtitles and like your movies off the beaten path, then this is one for you.... 5 out of 5 stars hands down.... i only wish i could watch it again with fresh eyes so i could experience the joy of not knowing what was going to happen next.... but it still holds up as an amazing piece of art....

other Jeunet and/or Caro films: 'City of Lost Children', 'Amelie' and 'A Very Long Engagement'